and shall not the beasts of the forrest tremble Shall wee heare God roare in his judgements and heare the trumpet blowne and not be affected wee see here how God complaines that when he harkened and heard they spake not aright Let us therefore make conscience of all our words Wee shall if not now yet at the day of judgement give account for every idle word for every cruell word as it is in the prophesie of Enoch cited in the Epistle of Iude But especially let us take heed of our words when wee speake of Gods judgements for it is the not speaking aright of them that is here especially meant I hearkened and heard but they spake not aright So much for the evidence come wee now to the next clause Gods complaint upon this evidence No man repented him of his wickednesse They did not repent of their wickednesse and the fault was generall No man repented the first yeelds this instruction That it is a state much offending God not to repent when his judgements are threatned God will not suffer it long unpunished to be impenitent when his judgements are abroad and threatned much more when they have already ceazed upon our brethren For that is the end of all his judgements to draw us neare to him to draw us out of the world and out of our sinnefull courses when therefore we answer not God must take another course What is the plague and other judgements but so many messengers sent to every one of us to knocke and our answer must be Lord I will repent of my evill waies I will turne from my evill courses and turne to thee If wee give this answer God will take away his judgements or sanctifie them and that is better but when there is no answer the messenger will not be gone God will adde plagues upon plagues till we give our answer till wee repent and turne from our wicked vvaies Novv that vve may doe this vvee must bee convinced thorovvly that the courses vvee live in are unprofitable dangerous hatefull courses and that the contrary state is better For repentance is an after-vvit and man being a reasonable creature will turne from his vvay except hee see great reason vvhy therefore there must be sound conviction that it is a bitter thing to offend God vvee must indeed be convinced by the Spirit of God and the Spirit of God usually takes the benefit of affliction affliction together vvith instruction instruction without affliction will doe little good stripes and the Word must go together else we will not give God the hearing as we should Therfore that we may be soundly convinced of our sins we should desire God especially in the houre of affliction to helpe our soules by his Spirit that wee may bee convinced that our courses are naâ—ght that they are courses dishonourable to God and dangerous to our selves that sinne defiles our soules that it hinders our communion with God which is the sweetest thing in the world that sin puts a sting into all our troubles that sin makes us affraid of that that should bee comfortable to us of death and judgement and Gods presence that sinne grieves the good Spirit of God that would take up his lodging in us that it quencheth the motions of the Spirit that are sent as sweete messengers to us to allure and comfort us that sinne grieves the good Spirit of God in others that it grieves the good Angells that are about us that it gratifies none but the Divell the enemy of our salvation that it defiles and slaines our soules wherein the Image of God should shine that it doth us more harme then all the things in the world besides indeed nothing hurts us but sinne because nothing but sinne seperates us from God that it shuts Heaven and opens Hell and so makes us affraid of death least death should open the gate to let us into Hell in a word that it hinders all good and is the cause of all ill Let us consider of this and worke it on our hearts And consider withall our former courses rip up our lives from our child-hood consider the sinnes of our youth together with our present sins that so we may the better stirre up and awaken our consciences Let us consider whether we are now in a state wherein wee could bee content that God should send his judgements upon us Consider how wee have been scandalous to others how we have drawn others to sinne that the guilt of other mens sinnes will lye upon us it may bee wee have repented but have they Consider the repetition of our sinnes if wee have not committed them againe and againe and other circumstances that may aggravate them Let us labour to worke these things on our hearts and desire the Spirit of God to convince our soules of the foulenesse and dangerousnesse of sinne When we sinne against conscience what doe we but set the Divell in the place of God wee make our selves wiser then God wee leave Gods waies as if wee could finde better and more profitable and more gainefull courses then his sound conviction of this will moove us to repentance And let us be stirred up to repent presently doth not God now warne you Is it not dangerous living one houre in a state that wee would not dye in May not God justly strike us on the sudden Doe but purpose to live in sinne one quarter of an houre may we not be taken away in that quarter Is not repentance the gift of God and are not gifts given according to the good pleasure of the giver Waite therefore for the gales of grace and take them when they are offered Grace is not like the tide that ebbs and flowes that we know when it will come againe when we see it goe No God gives the gales of grace according to his good pleasure therefore take the advantage of the present motions of the blessed Spirit The longer we live in any sinne unrepented off the more our hearts will be hardened the more Satan takes advantage against us the more hardly he is driven out of his old possession the more just it may bee with God to give us up from one sinne to another the understanding will be more darke upon every repetition of sinne and conscience will bee more dulled and deaded Those that are young therefore let them take the advantage of the youth and strength and freshnesse of their yeares to serve God That which is blasted in the bud what fruit may we looke for from it afterward Alas when wee see the younger sort given to blaspheme and sweare to loosenesse and licentiousnesse what old age may we looke for there Againe what welcome shall wee expect when we have sacrificed the best of our strength and the marrow of our yeares to our lusts to bring our old-age to God Can this be any other then selfe-love Such late repentance is seldome sound it
BEAMES OF DIVINE LIGHT Breaking forth from severall places of holy Scripture as they were learnedly opened In XXI Sermons The III. first being the fore-going Sermons to that Treatise called The Bruised-Reed Preached on the precedent words By the late Reverend and Iudicious Divine RICHARD SIBS D.D. Mr. of Katharine Hall in Camb and sometimes Preacher at GRAYES INNE Published according to the Doctor his owne appointment subscribed with his hand to prevent imperfect Coppies ESAY 60 3. The Gentiles shall come to thy light and Kings to the brightnesse of thy rising PSALM 84.11 For the Lord God is a Sun and shield the Lord will give grace and glory and no good thing will be withhold from them that walke uprightly LONDON Printed by G.M. for N. Bourne at the Royal Exchange and R Harford at the guilt Bible in Queenes-head Alley in Pater Noster-Row MDCXXXIX TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE IOHN LORD ROBERTS Baron of Truro AND TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE THE LADY LVCE his pious Consort Grace and Peace from Jesus Christ. Right Honourable and truly Noble IT was not so much the Nobility of your blood as that of Grace given unto you from the divine hand which did so much interest you in the love and esteeme of that worthy Servant of Christ and Author of this worke in whom Vrim and Thummim met whose whole course being a reall and vitall sermon sweetly consonant to the tenour of his teaching made him amiable living and honourable dead in the opinion of as many as well knew him This was the thing I suppose which wrought unto him from you as well as from many others of your Noble Stock and Ranke more then an ordinary esteeme and this is that which maketh me in nothing to doubt but that his labours made publique under your names shall be very welcome unto you the worke is answering unto the man and therefore worthy you and your acceptance onely this is the disadvantage that though these Sermons had his owne toung to preach them yet they want his owne pen to commend them unto your Honours I well know that the expressions of holy truthes from a gratious heart by lively voice doe breed deeper impressions in thirsting and reverent hearers then any publishing of them in dead letters can doe yet this we finde in experience that holy and necessary truths this way comming abroad into the Churches of God doe get the advantage to continue longer and to become a more generall good they may stirre up the affections and set on-wards in the course of holinesse where the comforts are sure and the honours honouring everlasting In these ensuing Sermons you have variety the mother of delight and such notable descriptions of the person offices love and life of Christ that by them you may not only be setled in divine assurances to your further comforts but also directed and incouraged both in your inward and outward conversation to follow the example of Christ the most blessed and unerring example unto all Christians This Champion I beseech you both to follow unto your lives end make it your worke to set up Christ and his Religion both in your hearts and in your houses Acknowledge none but Christ in matter of salvation and none to Christ in point of affection let Christ be Christ with you and then if Christ and if not Christ nothing can be worth any thing he will make you worthy indeed he will proove unto you in life and death a Sun a shield even a full and an answerable good with this Christ I leave you and with you these ensuing Sermons to be read and observed for your spirituall furtherance in the enjoyment of eternall life by Iesus Christ desiring the great God of Heaven and Earth to looke upon both you and yours in much grace and mercie giving unto you all the comfort and crown of Religion here on earth and hereafter in Heaven I rest Your honours to be commanded JOHN SEDOVVICK To the Reader Christian Reader THE Word of God is given us as a most pretious treasure and that not for our selves onely but for our children after us and therefore is called Jsraels Jnheritance Deut. 33.4 Moses commanded us a Law even the Inheritance of the Congregation of Iacob All the wealth in the world is but as dirt and trash in comparison of the Word to the people of God Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever for they are the rejoycing of mine heart saith David Psal. 119.111 And therefore as they rejoyce in their owne enjoying of it so they doe what they may to assure it to their children when they are dead that it may be entailed upon them and their posterity after them Yea so they doe also with the knowledge of divine truths which they have found in the Word which is not indeed found out by men all at one time but by degrees as Gold is found in Mines as men come to search farther and farther and to dig deeper and deeper for it It was not they know imparted to them for their owne use onely but for the benefit of others the manifestation of the Spirit is given to profit withall 1 Cor. 12.7 and therefore as it comes to them from Heaven they hand it to others that so it may be continued in the Church the ground and pillar of truth for the good of those that shall live in future times This was I hope the chiefe aime of those that have published these Sermons of that worthy Light of our Church Dr. Sibs And surely we have great cause in this regard thankfully to acknowledge their care and paines who both tooke them so exactly from his mouth as he delivered them and then kept them so charity as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a precious thing committed to their trust and have now published them for the common good of all that will make use of them For by this meanes what was delivered to a few may now build up many to farther degrees of knowledge and grace even all the Land over and they that never saw his face may be made sharers in those his labours which only a few were so happy as to heare Being my selfe one amongst others that have found the advantage hereof I was not so hardly wonne as otherwise I should have beene to commend these Beames of divine Light to the respect of others Diverse truths of greatest consequence are exactly handled in the severall Sermons here presented to you as concerning the misery of our naturall estate and the blâ—sse and happinesse of those that are quickned by Christ concerning the necessity of the Word our spirituall Food the Zealous Violence of the Faithfull impressing after it concerning the divers both joyes and sorrowes complaints and Triumphs of Gods children here when they are blacke though comely Cant. 1.5 and concerning their happinesse in death and glory after it and many other whereof these few are onely a taste The study of the Scriptures
but they either resist them or quench them and wrong and grieve the Spirit as Saint Paul saith Greive not the Spirit of God whereby you are sealed to the day of redemption Ephes. 5. Men speake or doe somewhat that grieves the Spirit of God in them their conscience being enlightned by the Spirit tels them that they have done that which is naught yet notwithstanding for this or that advantage to please this or that company they will speake or doe that which is ill and then the Spirit that was given in some measure before is grieved at this carnall and sinnefull liberty Therefore if yee would be guided by the Spirit of Christ take heed of all these and of such like courses Another meanes whereby we may come to obtaine the Spirit is Prayer to bee guided by the Spirit of Christ next to Christ himselfe our Saviour is the most excellent thing in the world therefore it is worth the begging and getting Luke 11.13 How much more shall your heavenly Father give his holy Spirit to them that aske him Insinuating that wee can aske nothing greater then the Spirit A man that hath a sanctified judgement next the forgivenesse of his sins through Christ hee begs nothing more then the Spirit to witnesse the favour of God in Christ and to fit him for other favours especially to fit us for the world to come God can give nothing greater nor we can beg nothing greater if wee have sanctified judgements then the Spirit of God therefore let us have a high esteeme of the holy Spirit of the motions of it and out of an high esteeme in our hearts beg of God the guidance of the Spirit that he would leade us by his Spirit and subdue our corruptions that wee may not bee lead by our owne lusts and so consequently by Satan that leads us by our owne lusts in the way that leads to perdition So much for that I will put my Spirit c. And he shall shew judgement to the Gentiles After Christ was fully furnished as he was furnished with the Spirit of God and with a commission from Heaven from Father Sonne and Holy Ghost having this high commission and gifts for it by the Spirit he fals upon his office presently we are never fit for any thing till wee have the Spirit and when we have the Spirit it is active and vigorous and working He shall shew judgement to the Gentiles What is meant by judgement here By judgement is meant lawes hee shall declare his lawes his truth and together with declaring the truth of the Gospell which is his Evangelicall law hee shall declare it in the soule and bow the neck of the inward man to the obedience of this his judgement Christ then by himselfe and his Apostles and Ministers shall declare his truth which is the scepter of his governement to the Gentiles and not onely declare it as Princes doe their lawes by Proclamations and Statutes c. but hee shall declare it to the heart by his Spirit Now in the hebrew language ordinarily wise governement is called judgement hee shall declare judgement that is his manner of governement he shall declare it by his Spirit and cause our Spirits to submit to it And indeed grace is called judgement in the phrase of Scripture the grace of sanctification because it is agreeable to judgement to Gods law it is agreeable to it and wrought by it in the soule and it is the best judgement for grace whereby the soule is subject to the judgement and law and rule of God it must needs be the best judgement because it is agreeable to Gods judgement grace judgeth aright of things and subdues all things the affections and inward man to it selfe But why is the word of God called judgement It is called so frequently in the Psalmes and in other places of Scripture because the truth of God shewes what God doth judge Judgement is originally in God who is the first truth and the first good the first truth judgeth best of truthes what is light and what is darkenesse what is truth and what is error what is good and what is ill what is safe and what is dangerous all will grant that God is the first light and the firâ—t truth therefore hee doth originally judge of the difference of things for even as in the creation he put an eternall difference betweene light and darkenesse and severed things that were in the confuseâ— Chaos and established an orderly world that Heaven should be above and earth below that one thing should be above another and all in judgement So in the governing of man-kinde he shewes his judgement by his word and that word shewes how God judgeth of things Lawes shew judgement what is to be done and what is not to be done The Gospell shewes Gods judgement what he will have us beleeve and hope for and how wee must carry our selves in way of thankefullnesses if we doe this then the Gospell the word of God judgeth what shall become of us wee shall be saved if we doe the contrary the word againe judgeth what our state shall be wee shall be damned so it is called judgement because it judgeth what is good and what is ill and because it determineth what shall become of us if we obey or disobey Hereupon it is that the word of God is a glasse wherein we may see our owne condition infallibly what will become of us the Word of God judgeth thus he that lives in such and such sinnes shall come to this end God will inflict these and these judgements upon him Iudgement in the first place is you shall doe this and this because it is good Iudgement in the second place is because you have not done this this shall befall you so the Evangelicall judgement of the Gospell is this He that repents and beleeves shall not perish but have everlasting life but he that armes and furnisheth his heart to rebellion he shall perish in his sinnes He that believeth not is condemned allready the wrath of God hangs over his head So from this that Gods truth is called judgement we may know how to judge of our selves even as God judgeth in his Word wee may see our owne faces and conditions there hee that is a man of death may see it in the Word and he that is appointed for happinesse may there see his condition Againe not onely the Word of God the Gospell which is out of us in the booke of God is called judgement but the worke of God in the soule Sanctification is called judgement hence we may observe what is the most judicious course in the world the most judicious frame of soule when it is framed to the judgement and truth of God being the first truth When a man is sanctified and set in a holy frame it is from a sanctified judgement the flesh is subject to the Spirit heere is all in a gratious
sinnes he quickned us but they are put in in the translation because they must be understood to make the full sence In the words consider these things First of all heere the Apostle puts them in mind of their former condition And then he sets downe in particular what it was They were dead in trespasses and sins Then he tells them wherein they were dead what was the cause of their death and the element wherein they were dead in trespasses and sins Lastly not in one trespasse and in one sin but in trespasses and sins And then to speake a little of quickning to take it out of the 5. verse You hath he quickned There is the benefit with the condition That which Jaime at is especially to shew our estate by nature and how we are raised out of that I shall touch the points briefly as I have propounded them Saint Paul here first minds them of their former condition you were dead in trespasses and sinnes For contraries give lustre one to another and it magnifies grace mervailously to consider the opposite condition Hee that never knew the height and bredth and depth of his naturall corruption will never be able to conceive the height and breadth and depth of Gods infinite love in Iesus Christ. Saint Paul had deepe thoughts of both as ever man had therefore he could never enter into the argument of abasing man and extolling the love of God in Christ that he could satisfie himselfe but his spirit carries him from one thing to another till he set it out to the full And every one of us should be skilfull in this double mystery the mystery of the corruption of nature that is unsearchable there is corruption in the heart that none knows but God only and we must plow with his heifer that carries a light into the hidden parts of the soule and discovers corruption there is a mystery of that as well as of the Gospell of our deliverance out of that cursed estate from the guilt and thraldome of it I doe but touch it onely to shew the scope of the Apostle Now besides the consideration of it for this end to magnifie the grace of God and to understand what our former estate was the better there are many other ends As to stirre up our thankefullnesse when we consider from what we are delivered to glorifie God the more There is no soule so enlarged to glorifie God as that soule that hath large thoughts of its estate by nature and that estate by nature made worse by custome our second ill nature and bondage voluntary considering Gods mercy in delivering and freeing us from all sinnes and trespasses this will make us thankefull indeed And it is a spring of love to God when we consider what great sinnes we have forgiven usâ— it will make us humble all the daies of our lives and pitifull to others but this may be handled fitter from another portion of Scripture To come therefore to the words Who were dead in trespasses and sins Their condition is they were dead the specification of their death in sinnes and trespasses and not in one but in sinnes and trespasses Here I might digresse and tell you a discourse of life and death at large every man knowes by experience what they are In a word death is a privation of life What is life and whence ariseth it Not to speake of the life of God God is life and Christ is life but of lâ—fe in us It ariseth from the soule first there is a soule and then a life from the union with that soule and then there is a secret kindled motion and operation outward wheresoever life is Life in man I say springâ— from the soule The soule hâ—th a double life a life in it selfe and a life it communicates to the body The life in it selfe it liveth when it is out of the body it hath an essentiall life of its owne but the life of the body is derived from its union with the soule and from that union comes lively motion and operation The spirituall life of the soule is by the Spirit of Christ when our soule hath union with the quickning Spirit of Christ and by Christs Spirit is joyned to Christ and by Christ to God who is life it selfe and the first fountaine of all life then we have a spirituall life The Spirit is the soule of our soules and this spiritual soule this Spirit in us is not idle wherever life is there is motion and operation inward and outward suteable and proportionable to the fountaine of life the Spirit of God himselfe So on the contrary it is with death what is death Death is nothing else but a seperation from the cause of life from that from whence life springs The body having a communicated life from the soule when the soule is departed it must needs be dead Now death take it in a spirituall sence it is either the death of law our sentence as we say of a man when he is condemned he is a dead man Or death in regard of disposition and then the execution of that death of sentence in bodily death and in eternall death afterward Now naturally we are dead in all these sences First by the sin of Adam in whose loynes we were we were all damned there was a sentence of death upon all Adams rotten race as we say damnati antequam nati we were damned before we were borne as soone as we had a being in our mothers wombe by reason of our communion with Adam in that first sinne And then there is corruption of nature as a punishment of that first sinne that is a death as we shall see afterward a death of al the powers we cannot act and moove according to that life that we had at the first we cannot thinke we cannot will we cannot affect we cannot doe any thing that savours of spirituall life Hereupon comes a death of sentence upon us being damned both in Adams loynes and in originall sinne and likewise adding actuall sinnes of our owne if we had no actuall sinne it were enough for the sentence of death to passe upon us but this aggravates the sentence We are dead in law as well as in disposition This death in law is called guilt a binding over to eternall death it breeds horrour and terrours in the soule for the present which are the flashes of Hell-fire and expectation of worse even of the second death for the time to come which is an eternall seperation from God for ever an eternall lying under the wrath and curse of God in body and soule after they are united at the resurrection because wee would sinne eternally if we did live eternally here and no satisfaction being made for man after death there must be an eternall sentence and punishment upon him a terrible condition if we were not afraid of the first death we should be afraid of the
God and when he is there he may yeeld an eare to listen and he hath common discourse and understanding to know what is said and upon what ground he can offer himselfe to the worke of the Spirit he can come to the poole though he be not thrust in this day or that day when God stirrs the waters this by common grace any man living in the Church may doe Therefore though we be all dead even the best of us by nature yet let us use the parts of nature that we have that God hath given us to offer our selves to the gracions and blessed meanes wherein the Spirit of God may worke Let us come to heare the Word of God Iohn 5.25 The time is come and now is that the dead shall heare the voice of God where the voice of God is in the Ministery and so they shall live As in the latter day the noyse of the trumpet shall raise the dead bodies So the trumpet of the Word of God sounding in the eares of men together with the Spirit shall raise the dead soules out of the grave of sin Therefore J beseech you as you would be raised up out of this death heare the noyse of Gods trumpet come within the compasse of the meanes As God is the God of life and Christ calls himselfe the life and the Spirit the Spirit of life So the Word is the Word of life because together with the Word God conveyes spirituall life The Word of God in the Ordinance is an operative working Word As it was in the creation God said Let there bee light and there was light So in the Ministery it exhorts and stirres up to duty and there is a cloathing of the ministeriall word with an almighty power it is a working word As when Christ spake to Lazarus when hee stanke in his grave he said Lazarus come foorth it was an operative working word there went an almighty power to raise Lazarus Therefore though we finde our selves dead and have no worke of grace yet let us present our selves more and more to the Ordinance of God God will be mighty in his own Ordinance the blessed time may come let us waite when the waters are stirred and take heede that we despise not the counsell of God which is to bring man to spirituall life this way And object not I am dead and rotten in sin many yeares I am an old man You know many were raised in the Gospell some that had beene dead few daies Lazarus was rotten and stanke It shewes us that though a man be dead and rotten in sinne yet he may be raised first or last the blessed time may come therefore waite never pretend long custome and long living in sinne All things are in obedience to God though they have a resistance in themselves yet God can take away that resistance and bring all to obey him All things in the world though they be never so opposite to Gods grace they are in obedience to his command Therefore though there be nothing but actuall present resistance in the soule to that that is good and a slavery to the bondage of sin yet attend meekly upon the Ordinance God can make of Lions Lambs he can take away that actual resistance As Christ when he was raised the stone that lay upon the grave was remooved So when God will quicken a man he will remoove the stone of long custome that is upon him though he have beene dead so many yeares yet God can rowle away the stone and bid him rise up Therefore let none despaire God is more mercifull to save those that belong to him then Sathan can be malicious to hinder any way The best of us all though we be not wholly dead yet there are some relicks of spirituall death hanging upon us there be corruptions which in themselves are noysome Therefore let all attend upon the meanes that the Spirit of God by little and little may worke out the remainders of death the remainders of darknesse in our understandings and of rebellion in our wills and affections For there bee usually three degrees of persons in the Church of God Some open rotten persons that are as graves open sepulchres that their stincke comes foorth and they are prophane ones There are some that have a forme of godlinesse that are meerely ghosts that act things outwardly but they have not a spirit of their owne they have an evill spirit and yet doe good workes they walke up and downe and doe things with no spirit of their owne The second are more tollerable then the first in humane society because the other stinke and smell to common society common swearers and prophane persons that stinke to any except it be to themselves But the godly have this death in part the life of sentence is perfect the life of justification but spirituall life in us is by little and little wrought in the meanes the Spirit of life joynes with the Word of life and quickens us daily more and more A word of these words And you hath he quickned Suteable to the occasion This being our estate let us know how much we are beholding to God who hath quickned us God quickens us with Christ and in Christ. It is a comfortable consideration In that God hath quickned Christ and raised him from the grave it shewes that his Fathers wrath is pacified or else he would not have quickned him he gave him to death and quickned him againe therefore we may know that he hath paid the price for us And he quickens us with Christ and in Christ whatsoever we have that is good it is in Christ first That Christ in all things might have the preheminence Christ first rose and ascended and sits in Heaven and then we rise and ascend and sit in heavenly places with Christ Therefore as St. Peter saith well in 1. Peter 1.20 God hath raised Christ that our faith might bee in God If Christ had not beene raised up our Faith and Hope could not have beene in God that he would raise us up we are quickned and raised in Christ all is in Christ first and then in us The ground of this is that Christ was a publike person in all that he did in his death therefore we are crucified and buried with him in his resurrection and ascention therefore we are quickned with him and sit in heavenly places with him He is the second Adam And if the first Adam could convey death to so many thousands so many thousand yeeres after and if the world should continue millions of yeares he would convey death to all shall not Christ the second Adam convey life to all that are in him So thinke of all things both comfortable and uncomfortable in Christ first when we thinke of sinne thinke of it in him our Surety and when we thinke of freedome from death and damnation thinke of his death when wee thinke of our resurrection thinke
of his when he rose againe in his resurrection the acquittance from our sinnes was sealed thereby we know that the debt is paid because he rose againe let us see an acquittance of all in the resurrection And if we thinke of the glory that God hath reserved for us thinke of it in Christ see Christ glorious first and we in him See Christ at the right hand of God and wee in him carry Christ along with us in our contemplations We are quickned with Christ Christ takes away all the deaths J spake of before Christ by his resurrection tooke away the death of sentence he rose againe for our justification so that now there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ. So againe in regard of that deadly disposition that is in us Christ quickens us in regard of that by infusing grace by his Spirit for Christ is an universall principle of all life Now Christ by his death pacifying his Father obteined the Spirit and by that Spirit which he infuseth as a principle of life he more and more quickens our nature and makes it better and better till it be perfect in Heaven As Adam was a principle of death and the more we live in the state of nature the worse we are til we come to hel So when we are in Christ the Spirit sanctifies us more and more till he have brought us to perfection And as we are quickned from the death of sentence and of disposâ—tion so we are quickned in regard of that hope of glory that we have For now in Christ we are in Heaven already and though there come bodily death betweene yet notwithstanding that is but a fitting us for glory the body is but fitted and molded in the grave for glory This very consideration will quicken a man in death my head is in Heaven above water therefore the body shall not bee long under water And Faith makes that that is to come present and affects the soule comfortably Christ is in Heaven already and J am there in Christ and J shall be there as verily as he is there I am there de jure de facto I shall be there in these considerations Christ quickens us Therefore saith St. Peter Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ who hath begotten us againe through the resurrection of Christ from the dead to a lively hope of an inheritance immortall c. We are begotten againe to this inheritance by the resurrection of Christ who is risen againe to quicken himselfe and all his The consideration of this should affect us as it did Saint Peter to blesse God Now all this quickning power ariseth from our union with Christ we must have a beeing in Christ before we can have comfort by death with him or by rising with him Our union with Christ springs from faith faith is cherished by the Sacrament the Word and Sacrament beget faith faith unites us to Christ union with Christ makes us partake of his death and the benefits of it and of his resurrection and ascention to glory therefore the more we attend upon this ordinance of the Word and the seale of the Word the Sacrament the more our faith is increased for God invites us to communion and fellowship with Christ and all his benefits and favours and the more wee find faith assured of Christ the more union and fellowship wee have with Christ and the more wee seele that the more Christ is a quickning Spirit quickning us with the life of grace here and the hope of Glory afterward Therefore let us comfortably attend upon the ordinance of God sanctified for this purpose to strengthen this our union with Christ. FINIS THE FRVITFVLL LABOVR FOR Eternall Foode In two Sermons By the late Reverend and Learned Divine RICHARD SIDS Doctor in Divinity Master of Katherine Hall in Cambridge and sometimes Preacher at Grayes-Inne ESAY 55.2 Why doe you spend money for that which is not Bread and your labour for that which satisfieth not Hearken diligently unto mee and eate yee that which is good and let your soule delight it selfe in fatnesse JOHN 6.55 For my flesh is meate indeed and my blood is drink indeed LONDON Printed by G.M. for Nicholas Bourne and Rapha Harford 1639. THE FRVITFVLL LABOVR FOR Eternall Food IOHN 6.27 Labour not for the meate that perisheth but for the meate that indureth to everlasting life which the Sonne of man shall give you for him hath God the Father Sealed OUr blessed Saviour was mighty in word and deed witnesse what he did what he taught and both in this Chapter What he did hee fed many with a few loaves he came over the water without any helpe What he taught witnesse from this part of the Chapter to the end The words are part of an Answer of our blessed Saviour to his hypocriticall followers that followed him for the Loaves and not for any confirmation of their faith by his miracles for upon occasion of those two miracles mentioned in the former part of the Chapter they followed him and perceiving that hee was miraculously come over the water they began to aske him Rabbi how camest thou heere Our Saviour perceives that they meant to complement with him he sees with what hearts they came after him therefore as most befitting the Exigence of their state because they were hypocrites he answers not to their question but to their persons Verily verily yee seeke mee not because of the miracles but because yee eate of the loaves and were filled Labour not for the meate that perisheth c. The Verses together containe a Conviction and an Injunction or direction A Conviction and that is serious and loving Serious Verily verily I say unto you you seeke mee not because of the miracles but because yee eate of the loaves c. Hee convinceth them of their fault of their hypocrisie of their wicked and carnall aimes in holy businesse they come flattering of Christ but as hee was too holy to flatter so he was too wise to be flattered hee deales therefore directly with them thoroughly convinceth them of their hypocrisie and corrupt aimes in following after him We are all naturally prone to these carnall ends in holy actions we must take heed with what mindes with what hearts we come before God whose eyes are brighter then the Sun who regards not so much what we doe as with what mindes we doe it As his conviction is Serious so it is Loving for with the conviction or reproofe followes the injunction or direction Labour not for the meate that perisheth In the Injunction there are two things First he shewes them what they should not follow he takes them off from labouring after the meate that perisheth And then secondly hee instructs them in what they should follow what they should seeke after But labour for the meate that indureth to everlasting life c. There are Arguments in both In the first there is an Argument disswasive and
to direct us heere as I shall discover better to you when I come to speake of the duty injoyned which is that I especially aime at But before I come to inforce the act or duty which our Saviour heere exhorts unto I must unfold the object of that act what is meant heere by the meate that endures to everlasting life The meate that endures to everlasting life is our blessed Saviour Christ Jesus as he is contained and wrapped up in the meanes of salvation with all the blessed liberties priviledges and prerogatives graces and comforts that we have by him and in him for our blessed Saviour never goes alone hee is never imbraced naked but with him goes his graces comforts prerogatives and liberties wee have him not now as we shall see him face to face hereafter in Heaven but he is to be considered as wrapped up in the Word and Sacraments so is Christ the foode that lasts to everlasting life and in this latitude we must take it or else wee mistake and straiten the Holy Ghost But why is our blessed Saviour so considered and the comforts and prerogatives and good things we have by him termed food In divers respects To instance in a few but first you must know that as the soule hath a life as well as the body so it hath a taste as well as the body and as God least the body should pine away hath planted in it an appetite which is the bodies longing after that which refresheth it for if it were not for appetite if it were not for hunger and thirst who would care for meate and drinke so God hath planted in the soule least it should pine away a spirituall appetite an earnest longing and desiring after that which is the most necessary good of the soule for the soule hath that which the body hath taste and smell c. though in a more sublime and divine sense but as really and truly as we shall see afterwards Now our blessed Saviour is this spirituall food of the soule He is the bread of life that came downe from Heaven He is the true Manna He is the true Tree of life in Paradice in the Church of God the true Paradice He is the true Shewbread He is the true Lambe of God He considered with all the blessed prerogatives and priviledges and comforts we have by him is called meate or food for divers respects First whatsoever sweetnesse or comfort or strength there is in meate it is for the comfort and strength and good of the body so whatsoever is comfortable and cherishing in Christ as indeed all comfort and cherishing is in him it is for our good to us He is given for us Hee was borne to us a Childe is borne to us a Sonne is given all is for us for us men for us sinners there is nothing in his natures in his state and condition both of abasement and exaltation nothing in his Offices but it is all for our good Consider him in his humane nature and joyne with his nature his abasement that hee was man that he tooke upon him our nature that he was abased in it that he humbled himselfe to death even to the death of the Crosse to bee a sacrifice for our sinnes how doth the soule feed on this on the wonderfull love of God in giving Christ to be incarnate and then to die for us how doth the soule feed upon the death of Christ because by that Gods wrath is appeased and he reconciled where the dead body is there the Eagles resort so doth the soule prey and feed upon the dead body of Christ Christ crucified is the speciall food of the soule Consider him in his Exaltation in his glorious Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven how doth the soule feed upon that Christ our Surety is risen againe therfore our debt is discharged the justice of God is satisfied to the full so for his Ascension when the soule is basely minded on earthly things it ascends to Christ who is taken up to Heaven for us so his sitting at the right hand of God the soule feedes on that because he sits there till hee have triumphed over all his enemies till he have trod them all under foot Consider him in his Offices In ignorance the soule feeds on him as a Prophet to instruct it in the sense of wrath and anger the soule feeds on him as a Priest to make peace and reconciliation in want of righteousnesse the soule feeds on his righteousnesse he is our righteousnesse In the sense of corruption the soule feeds on him as a King that by his Spirit will ere long worke out all corruption that as hee will tread downe all our enemies without so he will tread downe all corruption within he will never leave the soule till he have made it a glorious house fit for himselfe So the prerogatives wee have by him the soule feeds on them feeds on his Redemption that by his Redemption wee are freed from our enemies and all that hate us and all that we feared that wee are set at liberty from the Law from sinne and from death and notwithstanding all the debasements of this world wee are the sons of God and heires of Heaven In a word whatsoever is in Christ is for our good Hee is all mine his Life is mine his Death is mine his Resurrection is mine his Ascension is mine all is mine he is expended and laid open for my good that 's the first Againe as in the bodily life there is a stomack a power to worke out of the meate that which is for strength and nourishment so in the soule there is faith the spirituall mouth and stomack of the soule to worke and draw out of Christ whatsoever is for the comfort and nourishment of it as there is comfort in Christ so the Spirit of God gives a man a hand a mouth as it were gives a man faith to worke out of Christ somewhat for comfort what were food if there were not a stomack to digest it to make it a mans owne so what were Christ if wee had not faith to lay hold on him Againe thirdly as our life is nourished and maintained with that which is dead with dead things so the chiefe dish that maintaineth and nourisheth the life of the soule as I said before is Christ crucified God forbid saith the Apostle that I should rejoyce in any thing but in Christ crucified when the soule of a poore sinner is pursued with accusations from Satan and his owne conscience when they take part with God against him whether runs it to the city of refuge it runs to Christ to Christ crucified thither the soule flies being pursued with the guilt of sinne to the hornes of the Altar as Ioab did when hee was pursued but with better successe for hee was pulled from thence but the soule that flies to Christ crucified to the death of Christ to Christ abased to his satisfying the wrath of
of Christ we are helped and assisted against the remainders of our corruptions For the third the miseries of this life we have victori◠in Christ In him we are more they conquerours as you have it in this Chapter They can doe us no harme Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Iesus We have 〈◊〉 singular comforts in this Chapter against all the troubles than can be fall us and this is one that triumphs over all All things shall worke for the best to them that love God What should I speake of hurt from any thing that befalls us when all shall worke for the best by the over-ruling of him that commands all Vers. 28 And for death it selfe Neither life nor death shall be able to separate us from the love of God And for damnation which accompanies death It is God that justifieth who shall condemne There is opposite comforts in Gods Booke nay in this Epistle and in this Chapter against all that may any way trouble our peace There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Iesus saith the Apostle and then he goes on after to shew how by the helpe of the Spirit all things worke for the best c. In this very Verse likewise you have this comfort set downe of our freedome by Christ from any thing that may hurt us For the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Iesus hath made me free from the Law of sinne and of death The words are dependant as we see in the particle for For the Law of the Spirit of Life c. They depend upon the first Verse thus as a reason why how ever there be sinne in Gods children yet there is no damnation to them There is no condemnation to those that are in Christ Iesus he prooves it thus Those that are free from the Law of sinne and of death which brings in condemnation those undoubtedly are free from damnation but those that are in Christ Jesus they are freed from the Law of sinne and of death therefore there is no condemnation to such But how shall we know that we are in Christ Jesus Those that have the Spirit and are led by the Spirit of Christ they are in Christ The Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Iesus hath freed me from the Law of sinne and of death So I say the words are especially a reason of the former There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Iesus because by the Spirit of Christ they are freed from the Law of sinne and of death and by consequent they are freed from damnation for what brings in damnation but sinne In the words then there is an opposition there is Law against Law The Law of the Spirit of life in Christ and the Law of sinne and of death Now where there are contrarie Lawes if there be contrarie Lords as there must be New Lords will have new Lawes especially if they be Lords by conquest they will alter the very fundamentall Lawes that were before as you know the old Conquerours have done in this Kingdome Here is Law against Law and Lord against Lord Christ against sinne and death Here is a Lord by conquest over all other Lords and Lawes therefore here must needes be an alteration of Lawes upon it the very fundamentall Lawes must be altered But to come more particularly to the words For the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Iesus hath freed me from the Law of sinne and of death The words are much vexed by Expositors I will rather speake my owne judgement of them and reconcile them then dash one mans judgement against another for that tends not to edification The Law of the Spirit of life c. The meaning of the words is plaine if we compare it with other Scriptures The Law It is nothing but a commanding power for so the word written the Law in the Apostles meaning is but a power forcing and commanding So the Law of the Spirit of life is the commanding and forcing power of the Spirit of life in Christ Iesus and so the Law of sinne it is either the tyrannicall command and forcing power of sinne or else the condemning for sinne afterwards as we shall see hereafter for we shall unfold the words better in the particulars First then here we have set downe what estate we are in by nature we are under the Law of sinne and of death And then here is our freedome and deliverance from that we are made free from the Law of sinne and of death And then the Author of it Christ Jesus The Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Iesus hath freed me from the Law of sinne and of death In the words and those that goe a little before there are these three maine fundamentall points of Religion The miserie and bondage of man The deliverance of man And his dutie Here you have his miserie he is under sinne and death Here is his deliverance he is free from this by Christ. And for his dutie you have it in the last Verse of the former Chapter speaking of his deliverance Oh wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the bodie of this death then it followes Thankes be to God through Iesus Christ our Lord Thankfulnesse is due not verball thankfulnesse onely Indeed the whole life of a Christian after his deliverance is a reall thanksgiving but that is not in my Text. To speake therefore of our estate by nature and of our deliverance our estate is that we are under the Law of sinne and death We are under the Law of sinne We are under sinne what sinne We are under a three-fold sinne We are under the first sinne of our first father for as Levi payd Tythes in Abraham to Melchisedech so we all sinned in the Loynes of Adam our first Parent and the guilt of that first sinne lyes upon us Secondly there is another sinne that is derived and springs from that first sinne which is the deprivation of the Image of God the pravation of our nature we call it originall sinne whereby we are stripped of that good we had in our first creation and have the contrarie image the image of Satan stamped upon us so we are under the first sinne the guilt of it and we are under the sinne of nature which we call originall sinne because it is derived to us even from our birth and first originall we had in Adam And then we are under actuall sinnes which are so many bonds to tie us fast under sinne We are dead by nature but we are dead and rotten by actuall sinnes we super adde to the guilt of our sinne by our dayly conversation We are blind by nature but we are blinded indeed much more by our custome of life Every sinne doth as it were tie us faster to damnation and keepes us faster under the bondage of sinne Every new sinne takes away
and to have societie with the Devill and his Angels in hell and that forever and for ever Thou maist perhaps make â—light of the service of sinne because thou hast the present baits to delight thee but thou shouldst regard death Thou maist neglect death but then regard eternall death This word Eternall it is a heavy word Eternall separation from all good and eternall communion with the Devill and his Angels and for the wrath of God to seize on thy soule eternally world without end me thinkes men should not set light by that Therefore considering that this is our estate by nature we are all slaves to sinne and death let us labour to get out of this cursed estate by all meanes which is by The Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Iesus Now I come to speake of our freedome The Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Iesus hath freed me from the Law of sinne and death This is good news indeed to heare of freedome good newes to the Israelites to heare of freedome out of Egypt and for the Jewes to heare of Cyrus Proclamation for their freedome out of Babylon Freedome out of bondage is a sweet message Here we have such a message of spirituall freedome from other manner of enemies then those were The yeare of Jubile it was a comfortable yeare to servants that were kept in and were much vexed with their bondage when the yeare of Jubile came they were all freed therefore there was great expectation of the yeare of Jubile Here we have a spirituall Jubile a manumission and freedome from the bondage we are in by nature The Spirit of life in Christ makes us free from the Law of sinne and death There is life in Christ opposite to death in us there is a Spirit of life in Christ and a Law of the Spirit of life in Christ opposite to the law of sinne and of death in us So that this is our happinesse while we live here oh it is the blessednesse of men to make use of it while they have time and space and grace to repent and to cleave to Christ that whatsoever ill we are under by nature we may have full supply in Christ for all the breaches that came by the first Adam There came the wrath of God the corruption of our nature terrours of conscience death and damnation all these followed the sinne and breach of the first Adam all these are made up in the second He hath freed us from all the ill wee received from the first Adam and that we have added our selves for we make our selves worse then we come from Adam by our voluntary and daily transgressions but wee are freed from all by the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Iesus How comes this freedome There can no freedome be without satisfaction to divine Justice For why are we under sinne God gives us up to sinne why are we under death God gives us up to death Why are we under Satans government he is Gods executioner Gods serjeant he gives us up to him here because we offend him Why are we under damnation and wrath because God is offended All our slavery comes originally from God however it be sinfull in regard of Satan that keepes us yet the power whereby he keepes us is good for he doth it from God His will is alwayes naught but his power is alwayes lawfull therefore the power whereby the Devill keepes us if wee looke up to God under whom the power is it is a lawfull power for God hath a hand in giving us up to finne it is a judiciall giving up and then by lusts and â—inne to Satan and death and damnation So if we speake of freedome wee must not begin with the executioner the wrath of God must be satisfied God must be one with us so as his Justice must have contentment Satisfaction must be with the glory of his Justice as well as of his Mercie his Attributes must have full content one must not be destroyed to satisfie another hee must so be mercifull in freeing us as that content must be given to his Justice that it complaine not of any losse Now reconciliation alway supposeth satisfaction it is founded upon it And satisfaction for sinne it must be in that nature that hath sinned now man of himselfe could not satisfie divine Justice being a finite person therefore God the second Person became man that in our nature hee might satisfie Gods wrath for us and so free us by giving payment to his divine Justice The death of Christ God-man is the price of our liberty and freedome But why doth the Apostle speake here of a Law of the Spirit of life in Christ which frees us but here is no mention of satisfaction by death Oh but death is the foundation of all as we shall see afterwards To unfold the point therefore because it is a speciall point and the words need unfolding Here it is said there is life in Christ. A Spirit of life in Christ. and a Law of a Spirit of life in Christ. There is life in Christ not onely as God for so indeed he is life God his life is himselfe for life is the being of a thing and the actions and moving and vigour and operations of a thing answerable to that being So the life of God is his being As I live saith the Lord that is as I am God I will not the death of a sinner Now Christ hath life in him as God as the Father hath but that is not especially here meant There is life in Christ as God-man as Mediator Now this life is that life which is originally from the God-head indeed it is but the God-heads quickening and giving life to the man-hood in Christ the Spirit quickning and sanctifying the man-hood And we have no comfort by the life of God as it is in Gods life alone severed for alas what communion have wee with God without a Mediator but our comfort is this that God who is the fountaine of life he became man and having satisfied Gods Justice he conveyes life to us he is our head hee hath life in himselfe as God to impart spirituall life to all his members so there is life in Christ as Mediator And there is a Spirit of life that life it is a working life for spirit is an emphaticall word spirit added to a thing increased the thing Againe he saith the Law of the Spirit of life Law is a commanding thing to shew that the life in Christ it is a commanding life it countermands all opposite lives whatsoever of sinne and death and this Law is a countermand to all other Lawes the Law of the Spirit of life frees us from all other Lawes So here is life the Spirit of life and the Law of the Spirit of life all words of strong signification But for the cleare understanding of this sweet and comfortable point First
any good God takes notice of it Daviâ— after hâ— had repented of that foule sinne and was sharply corrected for it as indeed he was David was a good man for all that hee served God in his Generation But to give you an item by the way however God passed by the sinne in David and accounted him after his repentance a good man yet he must be sharply corrected for it Let no man therefore presume upon this that God will iudge him by the tenour of his life and therefore hee will commit particular enormities oh no! it cost David deare for besides his heart-smart in his owne particular God made his heart bleed it cost him many a salt tear besides that it was punished in his posteritie God raysed up his own bowels to take armes against him hee made him wish a thousand times that he had not so offended God It is ill trying conclusions with God though God afterwards pardon us and turne all to good yet it shall cost us deare first Though God will bring us to heaven yet if we will venture upon sinnes against conscience and take libertie to offend God he will take sharp courses with us yet it shall not preiudice our salvation you see those sins of David after he had repented was corrected for them they were forgotten and David in regard of the course of his life served God his life was a service of God notwithstanding some particular actions These things may be usefull to the best of us all therefore I observe them in generall from Gods manner of mentioning David here with honour and passing by his infirmities To come more particularly to the words Then David after he had served in his Generation the will of God c. THe words are a short Epitome of the life and death of the blessed man David First I will speak of his life and then of his death In his life there are these two parts First the time in which he lived when this service was done In his Generation And then the manner of his carriage in that time of his generation It was a service of God He served God And this service of God is set down by the obiect of it God By the rule of his worship the will of God Hee served God but how as he had revealed his will to him not at randome God will be served according to his own will And then here is the act he served So here is the proper obiect of worship God in whom all our service is terminate whatsoever we do it must rest in him if we do good works to men it must be for Gods sake we must serve God in it Then here is the proper rule carrying us to that obiect his Will And then it must be a service it must be done in obedience to God David in his Generation served the will or counsell of God as the Word is For his death we shall speak of it after First for the time In his generation Generation in the Scripture signifies a succession of men one after another as you have it in Matth. 1. from such a one to such a one so many generations so many successions You know in the Latine tongue seculum is taken for an age or generation the space of an hundred years though Moses shut up the life of man in a shorter time Succession of one man after another is a generation Generation sometimes in a generall sense is taken for all of one kinde The generation of Noah and the generation of the righteous that is all of that kinde without restraining it to succession But most commonly it is the consideration of men from succession of them having the tearm from the way whereby we enter into the world that is by generation therefore the succession of men from one to another is called Generation Now here Generation implies both the times and the persons The persons of men are a severall generation and the time wherein they live is a generation and both are here included David in his Generation among the age of men and in the time wherin he lived â—erved God The meaning of the place is clear The points considerable here are First of all that there is a generation a succession of men one after another Secondly that every man hath his particular generation Daviâ— had his generation wherin he served the Lord. Thirdly that he served God in his Generation that is the whole time of his Generation yet with this limitation he served God only in his generation while he was here before he came to heaven In heaven there is a kinde of service but it is not by way of work but of reward We must serve God in our generation here If ever we look to reap herafter we must sow now David served God in his generation First of all There is a generation a succession of men Particular men go off the stage but the species the kinde is eternall kinds of things continue forever Man dies noâ— but Paul and Peteâ— and David die there is a succession of particular men It is with men as it is with the waves of the sea one wave goes away and another comes after It is with men as it is with trees for men are compared in Scripture to trees trees of righteousnesse and man take him in his nature is like a tree the Poet could say to that purpose it is with men as with trees some leaves fall off in Autumne and others come in their place the next spring so it is with men they have their severall Generations there is an Autumne a decay and there is a spring of them there is a succession of Generations To teach us this lesson that our time being short here every man hath his generation one Generation goeth away and another commeth as the Scripture saith wee must be laid to our Fathers and otherr must stand up in our place Rise up Iosua for Moses my servant is dead saith the Lord one servant of God dies and another rises There bee many that must act their parts in this world therefore some must go off the stage that others may come on therefore while we have time here let us be sure to do good before we be takeÌ„ away suddenly we know not how soon and there be no more generation Here there will be a succession of generations till wee all meet in heaven then there wil be no succession there shal be no more death but as the Apostle saith we shal be for ever with the Lord. And it should teach us likewise considering that in regard of our being and naturall condition in the world there are severall successions generation after generation that now we are here and presently after no more seen in the world to make sure an eternall generation to be borne anew of the immortall seed that never dies as Saint Peter saith that tends to
themselves and others God must be served according to his Counsell or Will as hee hath discovered himselfe in his word for service is nothing but an action done with an eye to the will of another for if a man doth an action that one would have him do if hee do it not with respect to his command it is no obedience nor service he that hath not some care in the act it is no obedience As the Civill Law saith infringit obedientiam c. it breaks from the nature of obedience that hath no cause for it he must know his reason at the least there is the command of the superiour must bee a reason and ground for what hee doth in all his obedience and service Therefore there is a like necessity of the word of God as of his service for what Master will bee served according to the will of his servant why doth the Scripture mislike will-worship worship that is according to our owne will because there in wee make our selves God we serve ourselves and not God Wee must not serve God as wee would bee loath to be served our selves wee would be loath to haâ—e a servant complement with cap and knee and then do as he list himselfe and so for us to come and complement with God to heare his word as if wee would be directed by him to kneele and pray to him for fashion and then all our life after to do as we list It is a delusion to say we serve God unlesse we serve him according to his Will Therefore there must be a rule of our service and that rule is the written word of God There was a time when the word of God was not written and then God discovered his Will by dreames and visions and many other wayes but when the world was enlarged and man-kind spread further traditions from hand to hand was not a fit means and way to deliver truths because it was subject to corruption God therefore would deliver his Will how he would be â—erved in writing and God sanctified this course and gave credit to it by his owne example writing his owne Law with his own finger The ten Commandements were written by God himselfe God was the first Preacher and the first writer he was the first Preacher he preached the Gospell to Adam in Paradice and the first writer the tenne Commandements being written by God himselfe Now wee have the written word of God to be our rule how God must be served an exact and perfect rule I will not speak by way of controversie I hope we are grounded well enough but by way of direction for a godly life Gods Will is a sufficient rule What is requisite in a Rule First a rule must be cleere and open that it may bee made use of by those that are to bee regulated by it therefore we say The secret will of God can be no rule because it is secret That which is a rule must bee manifest and open therefore the revealed will of God that every one may see that is our rule Wee may crosse Gods secret will and do well and wee may serve it and yet do ill A Father may pray for his childs life and may crosse the secret will of God and yet doth well God allowes bowels in Fathers A wicked man may do according to Gods secret will and yet sin therefore that was not the rule of Davids service nor cannot be of ours Secret things belong to God but revealed things to us and our children saith blessed Moses The will of God as it is discovered must be the rule of our actions A rule must be open or else it is no rule Againe the rule by which we must lead our lives it must bee infallible not subject to error for then it cannot be the rule of our service The Word of God is an infallible rule it cannot deceive because it is the Word of God men wrote it indeed but it was God that dictated it the finger writes but the head dictates holy men wrote it according as they were guided be the holy Ghost The will of any man cannot be the rule of any mans service further than it is agreeable to the first rule why because it is subject to errour and mistake That which must be the constant rule of a mans life it must not be as popish traditions and the like it must be infallible now the word of God is so it is infallible a man may erre and be a man and a good man too but God cannot erre and be God the word of God cannot bee false and bee the word of God therefore it is an infallible rule When this is applied to any creature it is a Grand lie and the foundation of misery in that Church this is the first lie in the Church of Rome That the Church consisting of a company of men cannot erre what a horrible absurdity is this to make the will of man the rule that the Church cannot erre that Popery cannot erre though they erre egregiously they account rebellion service and make traitors merit c. But are our Tenents subject to such grosse things No we make the rule of obedience the infallible word of God that cannot erre To attribute that of that which cannot erre to that which can erre it is a horrible absurditie but I will not enter into controversies Againe that which is a rule must be perfect in commensuration in measure it must be of equall extent to all things that are to bee ruled Now the things that are to be ruled is our whole carriage and conversation therefore that that is the rule for a man it must rule his thoughts his speeches and actions so the word of God it rules the whole carriage of a man There is a proportion between the rule and all things that are to bee ruled by it all things fall under the word of God to bee directed and ruled by it It gives direction to our thoughts to our speeches to our actions in our callings it gives direction to Magistrates to Ministers to Masters to Servants to all estates and conditions in life in death It is exceeding large as David saith All things come to an end but thy Commandements are exceeding large It is a rule that extends to all things that are to bee ruled whatsoever no other rule but Gods will doth so for mens lawes they have nothing to do with thoughts thought is free for them Againe a rule must bee authenticall what is that It must be credited for it selfe it must have authority of and for it selfe and not depend upon another if it bee the first rule Indeed there be subordinate rules there is a rule ruled and a rule ruling mens lawes the Magistrates will it is a rule ruled by a higher rule and as long as it so it is a good rule but there must bee a rule ruling above all
death rest Againe it is in this respect a sleep because a man goes to bed with assured hope of rising againe and therefore he goes quietly though it be a state of darknesse for the time all the senses are bound up yet hee knowes that in Gods ordinarie providence hee shall rise againe therefore men not only quietly but cheerefully go to bed So there is greater ground to know that wee shall rise againe out of our graves than that we should rise out of our beds for many mens beds have been their graves in some sort I meane they have died in their beds but for the resurrection we have the word of Almighty God that is a God of his word that we shall rise againe and we have it in the pledge of our Saviours resurrection there is no doubt of that Therefore when wee die if wee have faith wee should make no more of death than men doe to goe to bed hoping undoubtedly of an assured and joyfull resurrection The want of faith in that kind makes us backward to this you see in what respect death is said to be a sleep To speak only of those references and relations that are most pertinent between sleep and death David fell asleep and very willingly for he had lived a painefull life he served God both as a private man as a Sheepheard as a King Eccles. 5.12 To a labouring man sleepe is sweet so to a man that hath served God carefully in his calling and kept a good conscience death is very sweete Wee see children that have been playing all day they are loath to goe to bed but to a man that hath wrought all day sleepe is sweete as wise Salomon saith to a labouring man Would we then have death as a sweet rest to us let us doe as David did that is bee painefull and laborious in our particular place and in our generall calling let us be faithfull in them to keep a good conscience and set all in order as much as wee can while we live to leave no seeds of debate when we are gone Some men die carelesly this way in disposing the good things that God hath given them they lay a foundation of perpetuall jarring afterward and so their death is skarsly a sleepe and rest they cannot but bee disquieted when they thinke how they leave things because they were not wise before hand David setled Salomon in his Throne and set all things right before hee died and that made him die not only in rest but in honour in 1 Chron. 29.28 David died in a good old age full of riches and honour And let us labour to get assurance of a change for the betteâ— David his flesh rested in hope because hee beleeved in Christ that Christs body should see no corruption Psal. 16. So if wee would have death sweete as a sleepe let us labour to get assurance by faith in Christ and so our flesh may rest in hope that as Christ raised his owne flesh so he will raise ours Good Simeon when he had seene Christ once Lord now let thy servant depart in peace c. so after we have gotten a sight of Christ to be our Christ our Saviour and Redeemer and have interest in him Lord now let thy servant depart in peace So much for the tearme sleepe It is added besides that Hee was gathered to his Fathers HEâ— was gathered to his Fathers both in regard of his body and in regard of his soule for his body went to the house of the dead the grave and his soule went to his fathers to heaven As I said before of sleepe so of this it is a phrase of Scripture that must bee understood as the persons are When a man dies his body goes to the place or house of all men the house of darknesse the grave but for his soule that goes as the man is to his fathers to hell if hee bee naught to the soules of just and perfect men as the Apostle speakes if he have lived a gracious and a good life and so it must be understood here bâ—cause hee speaks of a blessed man He was 〈◊〉 to his Fathers he meanes not to his immediate fathers but all beleeving men before him that were the children of Abraham his soule went to them his body to the first Mother the Earth out of which it was taken So the Generall is nothing but this that When we die wee are put to our fathers Therefore this should moderatâ— our feare of death and our griefe for the departure of others Why wee are not lost when we die the soule and body is taken asunder it is taken in pieces but both remaine still the bodie goes to the earth from whence it was taken and the soule goes to God that gave it And for our comfort we goe to those that we knew before many of them to our fathers not to strangers Especially in respect of our soules wee goe to our fathers to our next fore-fathers and to our old fathers to Abraham Isaac to Iacob to David to blessed Saint Paul and Peter and all the blessed men that died in the faith And when we are dead wee goe to those that are more perfect than those that wee leave behind us This should moderate our griefe oh I leave my friends behind me my father and mother and childrenâ— it is to goe to better to greater and those that love thee better Thou goest to greater for they are in their pitch they have attained their end they are in heaven and to better they are refined from those corruptions that men here are subject unto and then their love is perfect likewise therefore going to our fathers and not to strangers to those that are better and greater and love us more perfectly why should wee thinke much to die they will bee readie to entertaine us oh the welcome that soules find in heaven and at the day of the Resurrection the sweete imbracings when all the blessed soules that have beene from Adam to the last man shall meete together seeing therefore wee goe to our fathers it should rather make us chearefull Here whom do we live with take them at the best our friends men subject to jealousies and weaknesses our jealousie makes us suspect them and their weaknesses makes us thinke the meaner of them so our love is not perfect nor our graces are not perfect therefore we cannot have perfect love and contentment while we are here But in heaven there shall be no jealousie nor feare nor imperfection which is the ground of jealousie we shall perfectly love them because they shall be perfectly good and they shall perfectly love us because we shall be perfectly good and one shall stand admiring the graces of God in another and that will maintain a perpetuity of love therefore it is want of faith that makes us unwilling to yeeld our soules unto God at the point
we receive by the Spirit Quest. Answ. Whence it is that our state in Christ is better then it was in Adam Vse To see whence our supply is In want of grace Ground of Idolatry To carry ourselves answerable to our riches To make use of Christ in our sailings How to know the Spirit is put on Christ for us The Spirit given more aboundantly sinoe Christs ascention How Christ gives the Spirit 1 In the ministry of the Word Gal. 3.2 2 In obedience 3 Prayer Object Answ. What meant by judgement here The word of God called judgement Sanctification judgement Grace wrought by preaching Christs mild carriage Difference betweene the giving of the law and Gospell To take heed of vaine glory Labour for humility Meaning of the words Parts of the words 1 Gods inquiry To enforce carâ— in our carriage Mat. 12.36 Ground of circumspect walking 2 The evidence Quest. Answ. Wee speake amisse of Gods judgements 1 In regard of God 2 In regard of others 3 In regard of our selves 1 When we â—â—rmure against God 2 Wheâ— we make 〈◊〉 use of his â—uâ—gements Isa 26.9 Vse To talke aright of Gods judgements Doct. When judâ—ements are threatned and we repent not God is offended Simile Conviction a helpe to repentancâ— Ier. 2.19 The hurt wee have by sinne Not to delay repentance Danger of deferring Late repentance seldome true Conscience after long sinning hardly admits comfort Benefits by timely repentance 1 The favour of God 2 Prevention of judgements 3 Turnes all to good Difference betweene godâ—y and others 1 Prayer of impenitent not heard Psal. 66.18 2 Feare in wicked men Doct. Generality is no plea. Man can reflect upon his actions Neglect of selfe judâ—ing cause oâ— misery How to use our understanding Hinderances of consideration 1 Rage of lusts 2 Too much worldly businesse 3 It is a hard thing 4 It presents an unwelcoâ—e spectacle Every man hath his course God judgeth by the course not by a step 1 They are eager 2 Desperate 3 Dangerously 1 Cor. 10 23. Sinne hath defaced the Image of God in man What meant by judgement Whaâ— meant by it here What meant by not knowing God shames the pride of men by the creatures God takes instruction out of the booke of nature into his booke Doct. After long patience God sends judgements Quest. Answ. Iudgements comming may be knowne 1 By comparing the sinnes with the judgement 2 When it hath ceazed on us in part 3 By example oâ— others Mat. 24.38 39. 4 Generall security Want of feare the root of it 5 The generalitie of sinne Particular sins fore-showing judgement 1 Injustice 2 Formality in Religion Persecution Vnfruitfulnesse Decay in our first love What to doe in dangerous times 1 Improove the time 2 Mâ—urne for the â—ins of the land 3 Be watchfull Store up comforts Tâ—e matter of the Epistle Dependance of the words Hee minds them of their former condition Why we should consider our â—ormer condition Man naturaâ—y dead Death what Life what Spirituall life whence Spiritual death 1 In disposition 2 Sentence 3 Execution Sinne it selfe a death Signes of spirituall death 1 Coldnesse 2 Vnlovelinesse 3 Loathsomenes 4 They are seperate from God and Gods people 5 Sencelesnesse Without speech Without sight Without taste Without bearing 6 Immooveable 7 Growes worse To know what we are by nature To avoid intimate society with carnall men Object Answ. Difference in naturall and spirituall death To use the naturall parts God hath given us God can raise old sinners The best men have some remainders of death Three degrees of men in the Church * Easter-day * See the Sermons upon Rom. 8.2 1 Pet. 1. Iohn 3.33 Reve. â—2 Mat. 11 28. Isa. 55.1 1 Cor. 15.58 Heb. 4. Occasion of the words 1 From the excellency of his ministry Luk. 10 23. 2 From the efficacie of his Ministery Doct. 1. The Church the Kingdome of Heaven Threefold signification of the Kingdome of Heaven 1 Heaven 2 State of grace 3 Meanes of grace 1 A ground of conviction 2 Of comfort Quest. Answ. Why grace and the meanes of it are called the Kingdome of Heaven Why the things of the Gospell are slighted Quest. Answ. Iohn 7.39 In a Kingdome there is 1 Freedome 2 Plenty 3 Glory Iohn 8.36 1 Cor. 2.15 Christiaenity a full state 1 Cor 3.21 Phil. 4.13 A state of glory 1 Iohn 4.4 Rom. 2.5 1 In regard of the multitude Luk. 12.1 Mat. 3.5 2 In regard of the affection 3 The persons which were 1 Sinners 2 Poore Luk. 7.12 3 Stranâ—ers Mat. 8.12 Mat. 20.16 Doct. The disposition of Christians eager and violent Ob. Answ. Grounds of this violence 1 Opposition Psal. 110. â— From the flesh Heb. 12.4 From the world From Satan God seemes an enemy Iob. 13.26 2 To difference true Christians from others Heb. 13.13 3 To set a higher price on this Kingdome 4 The excellencie of the things 5 The necessity Luke 13.24 Vse To judge of our estates by our violence Men violent for outward things Pro. 7.22 Heavenly things offer violence to us 2 Cor. 5.20 Ezek. 18.31 What violence may stand with wisedome 1 Cor 3.18 2 Cor. 5.13 Not to heed idle reproaches The dispositioÌ„ of true professors Mat. 12.30 1 King 18.21 Newters hatefull to Christ. Mat. 3.16 Act. 2.3 Exo. 32.19 Mat. â—6 69 70 Religion taketh not away but ordereth the affections The successe of this violence Doct. 1 The violent have promises Mat. 7.7 Rev. 3.19 21. Rev. 2.7 2 They have a victorious spirit 3 God hath set Heaven at this rate 4 The violent onely can prize it Ob. Answ. Freedome of grace inforceth violence Mat. 11.28 Mat. 5.3 6. Mat 11.19 Luke 7.29 30 Holy violence hopefull 1 Hope stirres up diligence 2 To use meanes constantly 3 To waite Christians indeavours successefull Difference betweene the indeavours of a Christian and 1 Enemies of the Gospell Acts 9 5. Psal. 2. Psal. 129.6 c 2 Worldly men Pro. 12.27 3 Sluggish Christians Act 26.28 Pro. 13 4. 1 Pet. 1.9 Pro. 26.26 The preciousnes of the things require violence Ob. Answ. Grace increaseth with opposition Exhortation to holy violence Jam. 4.7 Pro. 8.34 Rom. 14.17 The time when this violence began Quest. Answ. Bondage of Ceremonies in the Law Iohns preaching and living powerfull Mat. 3.2 Why the Gospell in Luthers time was imbraced with violence Why the Gospell now is disesteemed Iohn 5.35 To be thankfull for liberty from Popish thraldome Ioel 2.28 The Spirit effectuall in the Ministery of the Gospell 2 The excellency of Christs Kingdome 3 Hope of obtaining it Iohn 1.29 Why Papist soppose preaching How to get thiâ— holy violence Formes of prayer useâ—ull Division of the words Benefit of afflictions Affliction remooves the fuell of sinne Vse Not to murmure at Gods hand Humiliation necessarie Kindes of humiliation Vse To labour for humiliation Helps to humiliâ—ation 1 Consider our